Hearsay and rumour were mobilised by right-wing media to imply that voter fraud is a serious problem, but this is not supported by facts.

There were just 146 allegations of voter personation — someone seeking to vote for someone else — across the whole of Britain in the period 2010-16 that took in two general elections and the EU referendum.

According to the Electoral Commission, throughout last year, which saw another general election, there was a single conviction for someone attending a polling station and claiming to be a registered voter.

Eight suspects accepted police cautions — four in relation to voter registration offences, two for personation as a postal voter, one for making a false statement on a nomination form and one over election expenses.

Four of the council areas picked for this trial run have no record whatsoever of voter personation while Woking had just one case and that was 12 years ago.

It is disingenuous to point to the situation in Northern Ireland because, as with so many questions, its history, though linked, is quite different from Britain’s.

The “vote early, vote often” call by unionist politicians was then matched by vote-maximisation techniques by their opponents, but this doesn’t provide a template for elections in Britain, as this year’s Electoral Commission report shows.

On a scale of seriousness from one to 10, the level of fraud it uncovered barely reaches zero, yet this ID trial has culminated in citizens being denied the right to vote for not having acceptable documents.

The authorities insist that each person on the electoral register has been sent five leaflets, including notes with their polling cards and notifications about recycling and bin collection.

Many people, especially the elderly and infirm, do not bother even to glance at the mountains of bumf that come through their letter box.

Not everyone picks up their polling card, knowing that simply announcing your name and address suffices to receive a ballot paper.

The numbers of voters denied their democratic right to cast a ballot is certainly in the dozens and likely to be in the hundreds.

Local elections: 4,000 people turned away from casting their ballot in voter ID pilot. ‘Britain prides itself on being a leading democracy – but it is a dark day for politics when thousands of blameless people turn out to vote only to be refused’: here.

7 thoughts on “British government attacks voting rights”

There has been anger in some areas piloting controversial ID trials after people reported being prevented from voting, the Press Association reports.

Bromley, Gosport, Swindon, Watford and Woking councils have all trialled the scheme to help cut down voter fraud. But MPs and councillors said people, including elderly residents, were being turned away because they did not have appropriate ID.

Angela Wilkins, leader of the Labour group in Bromley, said five people had been unable to vote as a result of the pilot and that the scheme was also causing long delays.

The presiding officer at the polling station in Sydenham Tennis Club, in Bromley, said “only a very small percentage” of voters had forgotten or were unable to provide ID.

Local MP Ellie Reeves said she knew of two people being turned away from polling stations in Bromley this morning.

I’ve had reports throughout the day of queues at polling stations. It’s a much longer process than normal. I do think it’s put a hugely unnecessary barrier up to people wanting to vote.
Ellie Reeves MPLewisham West and Penge

In Woking, Labour councillor Tahir Aziz said a man had been turned away from a polling station in Walton Road because his photo ID – a Surrey County Council document – was not accepted.

“This gentleman turned up, showed his ID which included a picture that was clearly him, it was an exact resemblance, but they wouldn’t accept it as it was not on the list of acceptable forms of ID,” said Mr Aziz. “He was fuming. He was furious. He is a British national and he couldn’t vote.”